Dall’albero alla foresta: i festival culturali in Italia

Cultural festivals are complex phenomena that blend rituality, social exchange, and the promotion of cultural heritage. This study aims to classify Italian festivals in relation to their territorial contexts, based on an empirical database (DBFest) of 1,574 events observed between 2019 and 2024. The findings highlight a heterogeneous distribution: culturally "vocated" regions such as Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Tuscany contrast with areas hosting fewer events, often corresponding to less urbanized or less touristically developed provinces. The Covid-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the cultural offer, accelerating the polarization between vibrant centers and marginal areas. While DBFest represents an initial framework it enables systematic reflections on the role of festivals in fostering cultural resilience and vitality across territories, providing insights for inclusive and sustainable cultural development policies.